Apology
by fabfkg
Summary: No one hates Nightwing more then Nightwing does. Set after the episode 'Fix'. A wee bit of Aster if you squint enough.
1. Chapter 1

'_You have no idea what your lies have done to us!'_

He could still hear Conner's voice ringing in his head, clear as day even as he sat there perched on the rooftop of one of Gotham's buildings.

'_M'gann believed Kaldur had killed Artemis. So when she found him on the Reach ship she fried his brain. That's gotta be why Artemis grabbed her, to try and save Kaldur's broken mind. But M'gann doesn't know how to do that.__ '_

Why hadn't he been told about what had happened? He should have known sooner about what had happened to Kaldur. He should have told them sooner about what their plans were.

_Manta may just kill her and Tigress if she blows her cover trying to save her. And we'll have lost all three of them because you thought it was a bad idea to share._

Dick lowered his head to his knees. Conner was right. He had kept everything from the rest of the team; kept everything from two of his closest friends. If this went south…If they couldn't get M'gann back, if Artemis or Kaldur were compromised; it would all be his fault. At the time he thought it was a good idea. _They_ thought it was a good idea. He assured Wally of Artemis safety and even now, the speedster wouldn't talk to him. None of them would.

As it stood, he didn't want to be Dick Grayson; Nightwing and team leader. He wanted to be Robin; the scrawny little teenager who only had to worry about keeping up with a bunch of meta-humans. He hated himself more than anything right now. What would Batman think when he came back to find not only the Hall of Justice in ruins but Mount Justice too? He'd be disappointed and he hated when Bruce was disappointed in him, even after all these years.

He listened to the sound of his communicator ringing in his ear. Word spread like wildfire through the rest of the team and now everyone was angry with his decision. No one, not even Tim or Barbara would answer when he called. Was this what it felt like for Kaldur when he chose not to tell them about the mole? When they turned on him out of anger? How did he put up with it? He just wanted to apologize…

'_So why are you hiding in Gotham?'_ A voice, sounding an awful lot like Conner, asked. _'Why not face the team in person?_

He didn't want to admit that he was afraid to. He left Gotham's sister city of Bludhaven to get away from his team. His excuse of course, would be that he was patrolling for Batman while he was away. That was part of it but not the whole reason. He didn't want to deal with the problem at hand. Something else Bruce would probably be disappointed with.

With a final sigh he got to his feet and stretched. He needed to move. He needed to find something to keep his mind occupied.

The gunshot sounding from down the street couldn't have come at a better time.

* * *

Conner narrowed his eyes a little as his phone went off for what he counted to be the twelfth time that hour. He hated the stupid little device. It bothered him to no end but Dick and the rest of the team suggested years ago that he get something a normal teenager would have so they could get a hold of him. The first couple phones they got him he had accidentally broke.

He pulled it out of his pocket to check the caller ID and sighed, seeing that it was once again Nightwing. The clone hit the button on the side, ignoring the call and went back to half listening to whatever the others were saying. Word was out and everyone was pissed. Not that he blamed them. Nightwing, Artemis, Kaldur and Wally all kept this from them. They came up with this big scheme and their team leader decided to keep it to himself.

Part of him understood the younger members; the newer members. But to keep it from M'gann? From him? Over the past couple of years, after Kid Flash retired from this life, he and Nightwing had gotten close. He trusted the other man, probably more than he trusted the others but now? How could he take anything he said to heart?

The group settled down and decided to focus on something else. His phone had gone of two more times, one after the other in that duration of time. He caught Robin and Batgirl checking their devices once or twice as well and figured Nightwing must have tried to call them too which they chose to ignore. Now he felt just a little bad. Robin and Batgirl were the two other people Nightwing was close to and even they wouldn't talk to him after finding out.

A movie was decided on and Conner sighed as he was reluctantly dragged outside with them, the phone in his pocket now eerily quiet. And it stayed quiet the entire time their little group moved through the new city trying to find the movie theater until it suddenly rang once more. Falling to the back of the group and letting them argue about directions, Conner tugged his phone out and after a moment of debate from seeing Nightwing on the caller ID, finally answered.

"What do you want?"

''_C-conner….Don't….Don't hang up. Please."_

* * *

Nightwing had been glad to escape when he did. When he went to investigate the gunshot he was expecting a petty robbery or purse snatching gone wrong. He hadn't expected to crash in on both The Joker and Two Face running a heist together with their goons. It seemed the two villains were expecting Batman and Robin to show up with how many guys they had on hand. The two of them didn't know that the Dark Knight was off world for some time still.

If his head was completely in the game this would have been a cinch for him to do. He could have taken out the goons then worked up to both Two face and Joker. But he wasn't completely into the fight, his thoughts elsewhere and he was suddenly finding himself in over his head. Several times he brought the screen on his holo-com up; trying to find some back up from his team who were just across the bridge in the next city over but he received no answer.

Then it happened.

He was too busy fighting the goons to pay attention when Two Face drew his gun, flipped the coin and grinned. He fired two shots and the teen wasn't fast enough, taking both hits. Luckily the Kevlar in his suit stopped them before it could break skin but it had left him open to The Joker and his knife, feeling the blade rip through his suit and stab into his side before it twisted painfully.

That was when he decided to make a hasty retreat. It took a while to shake some of them off but Dick eventually ducked into an old abandoned apartment complex, throwing them off. So there he was now, hand gripping his bleeding side tightly as he tried to catch his breath. He needed medical attention but he was so far away from the manor he had no idea how he was going to make it there unnoticed. Not if those goons still around.

Tilting his head back he pressed the button on his communicator once more, letting dial the last person he tried calling before he had fled, surprised when Conner actually picked up.

"_What do you want?"_

''C-conner….Don't….Don't hang up. Please."

"_Give me a reason why I shouldn't" _

"Just…please. Listen. "He was going to ask for help but…did he really deserve it? Maybe this was his punishment for the things he put his friends through, for the lies he told. "I'm sorry…"

There was a snort "_I bet you are. I'm hanging up Nightwing_."

"Conner…Please. You won't have to talk to me after tonight. I promise." There was a shift and he could tell that Conner was debating about it. "Please just listen…"

"_Fine…"_

"I should have told you from the beginning. You and M'gann. But—"He paused, thinking he heard voices before continuing. "I thought that…if you all knew, you wouldn't have fought as seriously as you did when you thought they were our enemy. We had to make it believable. I-I was wrong."

"_Nightwing—"_

"Listen…Can you tell the others that I'm sorry? I know that it won't make much of a difference but I'm sorry that I lied to them too. I thought I was doing what was best for the team but as it turned out, I was just turning into someone I told myself years ago I never wanted to be. "

"_Why don't you tell them yourself? Where are you?"_

Nightwing let out a sigh and slid down further, curling up on his side. He was getting tired. "Gotham…"

"_What are you doing in Gotham?"_

"Patrolling but—"

"_Alone?_ _Nightwing you should have-_ "

"I-It's fine Conner. I said what I needed to say okay? Tell them I'm sorry. If you can, get M'gann back and…and get Artemis and Kaldur out of there. I don't want them to suffer because of the idea I had. Promise me."

"_Nightwing_." Conners voice had become stern, as if he could hear the teen's breathing becoming labored despite him trying to keep it even. "_What happened_?"

"I guess I should stop lying to you. Don't need you angrier at me then you already are. I had a run in with Two face-" He needed to pause, take in a breath "A-and Joker. I'm not entirely feeling the aster."

He winced when it sounded like a rush of wind passed through the phone. Did the wind picked up outside? He couldn't tell from where he was curled up.

"_Nightwing? I need you to keep talking. Where are you? "_

"Near the docks somewhere; an old apartment building. "He shuddered and curled up tighter "You almost sound worried. "

"_I am—"_

"You know…I never thought I'd see the day you'd calmly tell me off. "He chuckled though it ended with a pained noise. "I remember when you used to yell and just charge ahead without thinking. You've come a long way from being that hotheaded, thick skulled—"

"_Nightwing_"

"Sorry…" He blinked tiredly "Hey Con, I don't think…It's getting hard to stay awake."

"_Don't! Don't you dare fall asleep just yet. Keep talking for a little while longer. You're good at that remember? "_

"Good at all a lot of things. Like screwing up. "

"Stop—"

"I have something else I wanted to tell you." He cut him off before he could say anything else. Despite what Conner requested he just couldn't keep his eyes open any longer. "I used to have the biggest crush on you. SB?"

"…_.Yeah NW?" _

"You remember that day, when you, M'gann and Artemis told us those secrets you were keeping?"

"_Yeah…"_

"Sorry I didn't learn… from that example. M'so so sorry…"

The world faded to black right when someone crashed through roof of the room he was in. He heard a shout of his name before everything fell silent.

* * *

When Nightwing came to he was aware of hushed voices. It was warm and the space around him was echo-y. It was very familiar actually. He groaned and blinked several times, trying to look around as his vision focused.

"Nightwing? "

"Mn..M'I in the batcave?" He tried to sit up but a pair of hands held his shoulder and gently guided him back down. He looked up at not only Conner but Tim and Barbara as well. "What's—"

"You gave us a pretty big scare. Superboy told us something was wrong when you called him on the phone and we rushed over as soon as we could. Just don't tell Batman we showed Superboy where the cave is and we should be fine. " Tim rubbed the back of his neck. "You tried to call us for back up didn't you?"

"Yeah but..it's okay. "He looked over at Barbara. She seemed just as guilty as Tim did. "Really. I understand why you didn't pick up guys. "

"It's not okay. If Conner hadn't picked up…"

"Don't worry about. You found me, I'm fine. It's okay. I'm the one that needs to apologize. "

"No. We talked about and…your logic in the situation was pretty sound. We understand why you did it. ''

"You do?"

"Now why don't you get some rest and we'll come down to check on you in a little bit okay?"

Nightwing managed a faint nod, watching Batgirl and Robin leave the little medical area. Conner however stayed behind, sitting down in the chair next to the bed with his arms crossed.

"So…Welcome to the batcave?"

"It's….not what I expected really."

"Ah…hey, Thanks. You know, for coming to find me."

"What are friends for?"

"I guess that makes a good point…so…We're still friends? "

"Yeah, of course. I'm sorry about how I acted. "

"Don't be." Nightwing smiled happily and shook his head. He was happy things between them weren't as tense as it was before.

Seeing as it was now safe to close his eyes he now did so, planning to get some rest.

"So….What's this about a crush you used to have on me?"

Or not…

* * *

**AN: Bleh, sorry if this doesn't come out as great Dl I'm not feeling all that grand but I wanted to get it over and done with after watching yesterdays Young Justice episode. \owo/ It only fueled my ship further. You know the drill. Reviews are always loved.**


	2. Chapter 2

_The people have spoken. They wanted a sequel chapter, so I give you a sequel chapter. Enjoy! NOTE: This takes place after the last episode. If you haven't seen it yet I apologize for spoilers._

oOo

Dick uncrossed his arms and shook his head as he pushed off the wall. Yup. Business as usual for this group. Even saving the world didn't stop them from continuing missions instead of taking time off. He chuckled softly as he made his way towards the Zeta's there in the Watchtower. Kaldur had his hands full with that bunch.

He took a last look at the group preparing to go on their missions before stepping through the tunnel.

He had work to do.

Bludhaven was busy that night. Three attempted robberies, four purse snatchings and one hostage situation. The thugs here weren't as creative or flashy as the ones in Gotham but there were a lot of them. It's no wonder the Bludhaven's police force was having trouble. Of course, the thugs weren't expecting the masked vigilante to suddenly appear in any of those situations so everything went well..

Tonight was Nightwings official debut in Bludhaven. He had done a few patrols, stepped in here and there when things got too hairy, but had mostly kept to the shadows. Tonight was different. He wanted the city to know that he was there and that he was going to look after them, much like Batman and Robin did with Gotham. This was the perfect way to keep himself busy while away from the team.

He shook his head.

He didn't need to think about that. Thinking about the team made him think of Wally and—

His communicator beeped in his ear and he frowned, tapping it softly. "Nightwing."

"Where are you?"

There was a pause. Mostly because Nightwing had stopped, stunned, standing on top of a rooftop. "Superboy?"

"No it's Santa. I missed you for Christmas; I'm here to give you your gift." Was the deadpanned response. "Yes it's me. Where are you?"

"I'm just finishing up my patrol in Bludhaven. Meet me at my apartment in ten?" He asked, jumping off a building with practise ease and landing on the fire escape outside his apartment. He slipped inside the window and left it open just in case Conner decided to enter the same way.

"Alright. Ten minutes. "

The raven haired teen shook his head. He had no doubts that Conner was checking his watch and was going to be there punctually so he grabbed himself a bottle of water and disappeared into his bedroom to change into a more comfortable pair of clothes for the night. Sure enough, ten minutes later, Dick could hear him enter through the window as he was brushing his teeth.

When he stepped into the living room the other male was seated on the couch, elbows on his knees and his hands folded together. He looked extremely serious for some reason.

"Conner? Did you want something to drink?"

"No." There was an awkward moment of silence; Dick standing in his living room with Conner sitting there quietly, staring at the floor. It seemed like forever when Conner finally looked up at him. "You weren't given any missions."

"Kaldur was supposed to—"

"He did but I want to hear it from you."

Of course he did. "I'm taking a leave of absence. "Calloused fingers ran through raven strands and Dick let out a sigh. "I need some time off. "

"How long?"

"I don't know. Like I told Kaldur, I need some time to myself; away from the team. After Wally…"The silence returned after he trailed off; thicker than before, the both of them letting their thoughts drift to their lost team mate and friend. "I just can't Conner."

"It's alright." The look on the clones face was softer than it had been a moment ago. "I understand. "

Sighing relieved, Dick sat down next to him on the couch. It was a comfortable silence that surrounded them now. But Dick was never one that liked silence. When he was with someone he always had to talk. When alone, he had the television or radio on. Even on patrol, he preferred how noisy the city was. Silence just made him feel alone and he hated that feeling.

So he did what he did best; starting talking.

"You know…Walls…He wanted me to go with him when he left. He wanted me to retire too."

"He did?"

"Yeah. I guess he thought I'd been doing this for too long but I couldn't imagine giving it up. I loved fighting crime, working on the team…saving the world. Still do. When I decided to take my leave of absence I thought of hanging up the suit entirely."

"What made you change your mind?"

"I can't sit still for that long "He mused. "The people here in Bludhaven need someone to look out for them. The team has you guys. I'm sure you'll handle everything just fine without me."

"You know it's not going to be the same without you. "

"Mn…What are you even doing here by the way? I thought you were going to Mars with Miss M"

"We're pushing it off until tomorrow. I wanted to come and find out if it was true about you leaving."

"Oh. Well it is…" Dick shifted a little and looked around his apartment trying to think of something else to talk about. His thoughts travelled to the few times he was around Conner and M'gann; both before and after the incident. "So…you and M'gann…You're getting kind of close. Kind of looks like you might get back together from an outsiders point of view."

Wow. Real smooth Grayson.

"Is that what's been going around lately?" The super clone made a face "Because it isn't true. We're attempting to be friends again. "

Was that sigh of relief audible? He hoped it wasn't because he did let out a sigh of relief when Conner said that. He would deny it of course. He wasn't that thirteen year old kid that had a crush on the clone in their team anymore. He was the nineteen year old former leader who had a crush on one of his best friends.

Wait.

That wasn't right.

"Still have that crush on me huh?"

Dick's head snapped back to look at Conner who wore an extremely smug look on his face. There was that fiasco a couple months back when he got himself injured in Gotham and had told Superboy that he might have had a little crush on him while thinking that he wasn't going to survive the night, a crush that Wally had known about and he had made the redhead swear secrecy to. The super hadn't let the subject drop and would tease him about it. In the cave Dick had pretended to be asleep. When they were alone and it was brought up? Dick would make up an excuse to leave. Of course, the past little while they were so busy trying to save the world and keep from dying, that it hadn't been brought up.

Until now that is.

"And I have no idea what it is you're talking about."

"Yeah right." There was a shift beside him as Conner turned to look at him. He looked thoughtful for a moment before a small smile played on those lips. Lips Dick hadn't just been staring at. Not at all."You know what M'gann told me? About Tim and Cassie?"

"Mn. Nope."

"She said it was a "Life is short thing.' "

"Did she now…" The hacker rose an eyebrow. Just where was Conner going with this. "Well she isn't wrong. Life is too short to go through missing opportunities and chances. One would mph—"

Dick's rant was cut short when Conner, impatient of waiting for the older teen to put two and two together, finally leaned in and pressed their lips together. Blue eyes widened comically in surprise before he pulled back.

"Conner…what—"

"Life is short."

"Life is—oh. "Again, real smooth Grayson. There was a shared smile and Conner went to go comment when Dick closed the distance this time, leaning in to kiss him back. It was slow, tentative at first, both trying to get a feel for the other when he felt Conner's lips move against his own. He pressed into the kiss a little, angling his head to get it just right and enjoy the kiss to the utmost. The super's fingers moved to cup the back of his head, deepening the kiss as much as possible as Dick gripped the black and red shirt.

They pulled apart with a little pop, both letting out a small content sigh.

"So much for not having a crush on me anymore."

"Shut up." He fought the urge to blush at that comment. " But you know…just because I'm not on the team anymore doesn't mean we won't still see each other right?"

"Right…"

"So…did you maybe want to give this shot?"

"I think…that would be a good idea. " To Dick's dismay, Conner got to his feet. "but when I get back. We're leaving first thing in the morning so I should get back to the Watchtower. "

"Alright. Good luck on your mission." _Don't die._

"Thanks. Good night Dick. _" I won't._

Dick leaned back against the couch as Conner chose to fly out the window for his exit. He let out another little sigh but touched his fingers to his lips. There was a dorky grin on his face, he just knew it and he could hear his best friend teasing him about it in his mind. His smile softening, he made his way to his room to get a good night's rest.

Tonight he was totally feeling the aster.

oOo

**AN: Took a break from Taken to jot this out! There! You have your sequel lol**


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